Correction to Lords Written Answer

Lord Howell of Guildford: I regret that due to an administrative error the Written Answer given to Lord Bates on 3 March 2011 (Official Report, col. WA 357-58) was incomplete. The full answer is as follows:
	Lord Bates
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, in which conflict-affected states are they provide (a) humanitarian aid, (b) mediation, and (c) military support. (HL7131)
	The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford)
	The table below gives details for conflict-affected countries in which the Government are providing support in the current financial year.
	
		
			 Type of support Country 
			 (a) humanitarian aid (provided by the Department For International Development) Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Chile, Eritrea, Burma, Haiti, Yemen, Chad, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Somalia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan, Iraq, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Burundi, Eritrea, Niger and Zimbabwe. 
			 (b) mediation (funded through the Conflict Pool) Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, South Africa, Sudan, Somalia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d'Ivoire, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Liberia, Angola, Nigeria, Yemen, Lebanon, Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia, Moldova, Kosovo. 
			 (c) non-operational military support through a military presence Algeria, Bosnia, Cyprus, Djibouti, DRC, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Yemen. 
		
	
	The Government also provide humanitarian and mediation support through, for example, multilateral organisations such as the United Nations (UN), and military support to a range of conflict-affected countries through their commitments to UN, NATO, European Union (EU) and Organisation for Security Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) international peacekeeping missions.

EU: Competitiveness Council

Baroness Wilcox: The EU Competitiveness Council will take place in Brussels on 9 and 10 March 2011. Andy Lebrecht, the UK's Deputy Permanent Representative to the EU will represent the UK on research issues on 9 March and I shall represent the UK on internal market and industry issues on 10 March.
	The research substantive agenda items on 9 March will be a Commission presentation and exchange of views on the Europe 2020 strategy annual growth survey; adoption of council conclusions on the interim evaluation of the 7th Research Framework Programme including the risk-sharing finance facility; an update on the European Innovation Union flagship initiative; and adoption of council conclusions on a pilot innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing. There will also be a lunchtime discussion on the European Commission's common strategic framework for research and innovation funding Green Paper.
	The research any other business items are a report from the Belgian delegation and the Commission on the conference the knowledge-based bio-economy towards 2020 and a Commission presentation on the Council decision concerning the framework programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) for nuclear research and training activities (2012-13).
	The internal market and industry substantive agenda items on 10 March will be a Commission update and exchange of views on the results of the public consultation on the Single Market Act; adoption of Council conclusions on the Commission communication Towards a Better Functioning Single Market for Services-Building on the Results of the Mutual Evaluation Process of the Services Directive; adoption of the proposed Council decision authorising enhanced co-operation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protection; a Commission presentation and exchange of views (industry perspective) on the Europe 2020 strategy annual growth survey; and adoption of Council conclusions on the raw materials initiative. There will also be an Industry Ministers lunchtime discussion on the Commission's mid-term review of the Small Business Act.
	The Internal Market and Industry any other business items will comprise Commission presentations and updates on the following:
	the internal market information system (IMI); SOLVIT annual report; the European Court of Justice opinion on a draft treaty for the creation of a single court for patent related disputes; the fifth consumer scoreboard; the public consultation: Towards a Coherent European Approach to Collective Redress; the public consultation on alternative dispute resolution;the Commission communication on reaping the benefits of electronic invoicing for Europe; the implementation of the recommendations of the high level group on the competitiveness of the European chemical industry.
	The Government's main aims will be:
	to emphasise the UK's priorities for the Single Market Act; to agree Council conclusions on the services directive mutual evaluation process and on the Commission's raw materials initiative;to support further progress on the EU patent; to highlight the UK's priorities for achieving EU growth (from both industry and research perspectives) in response to the Commission's annual growth survey; and to agree Council conclusions on the 7th Research Framework Programme interim evaluation and on the pilot innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing.

EU: Environment Council

Lord Henley: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State has today made the following Statement.
	My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Chris Huhne) and I will represent the UK at the Environment Council in Brussels in 14 March.
	At this council, the Hungarian presidency is expected to seek political agreement on the proposal for a recast of the directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
	The presidency will also seek the adoption of Council conclusions on the follow-up to the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Cancun and on the review of the community strategy concerning mercury.
	There will be an exchange of views on the latest analysis of the proposal for a regulation regarding the possibility for member states to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of GMOs in their territory. A further exchange of views will be held on the common agricultural policy towards 2020 and on the Environment Council's contribution to the EU Semester.
	The following topics will be covered under any other business:
	presentation by the Commission on the low-carbon economy road map 2050;information from the Danish delegation on endocrine disrupters;information from the Commission on a communication on regional policy contributing to sustainable growth in Europe 2020;information from the Commission on the state of the ETS registry; andinformation from the Austrian delegation on measures concerning the use of plastic carrier bags.

Police: Remuneration

Baroness Neville-Jones: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Theresa May) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Tom Winsor has today published the first report of his review of remuneration and conditions of service for police officers and staff in England and Wales.
	The review began its work on 1 October last year. The terms of reference asked the review to make recommendations that enable the police service to manage its resources to serve the public more cost effectively, taking account of the fiscal challenges. In particular they invited the review to focus on proposals that:
	use remuneration and conditions of service to maximise officer and staff deployment to front-line roles where their powers and skills are required; provide remuneration and conditions of service that are fair to and reasonable for both the public taxpayer and police officers and staff; enable modern management practices in line with practices elsewhere in the public sector and the wider economy;
	And to have regard to:
	the tough economic conditions and unprecedented public sector deficit, and the consequent Government's spending review; the resolution by the Government that the public sector must share the burden of the deficit; the Government's policy on pay and pensions; analysis of the value of current remuneration and conditions of service for police officers and staff, as compared to other workforces; a strong desire from the public to see more police officers and operational staff out on the front line of local policing; a recognition that there are also less visible front- line roles which require policing powers and skills in order to protect the public; the particular front-line role and nature of the office of constable in British policing, including the lack of a right to strike; parallel work by the police service to improve value for money; wider government objectives for police reform, including the introduction of police and crime commissioners, the reduction of police bureaucracy and collaboration between police forces and with other public services; other relevant developments including the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission led by Lord Hutton, the Hutton review of fair pay in the public sector led by Will Hutton, any emerging recommendations from them, and the Government's commitment to protect accrued pension rights; andthe impact of any recommendations on equality and diversity.
	The review was asked to report in two stages, the first covering short-term improvements. Tom Winsor has now provided this first report and has been supported in this work by former chief constable Sir Edward Crew and labour market economist Professor Richard Disney.
	I am very grateful for their work on this review and for this report. I will now consider the report very carefully. The report has been laid before Parliament today and copies are available from the Vote Office. It is also available electronically to the service and the public on the review's website at http://review.police.uk/.

Violence against Women and Children

Baroness Neville-Jones: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Theresa May) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Ending violence against women and girls is a priority for this Government. On 25 November 2010, I set out our guiding principles in this area over the spending review period in a call to end violence against women and girls and announced that we will be committing Home Office funding of £28 million to fund specialist services in this area over the next four years.
	Today, to mark International Women's Day, I am publishing a set of supporting actions to realise our ambition in this area. This includes a full response to Baroness Stern's review into how rape cases are handled in England and Wales.
	Copies of both documents will be placed in the House Library.